When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
The LORD is calling us to see him in our neighbor. He is calling us to be holy as he himself is holy.
Whereas we hear the law and think only of obligation and effort, Jesus speaks the law with compassion in mind. Every think we are asked to do and to not do is in service of God and neighbor. None of it is arbitrary.
God tells us, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." This, and loving God himself with our entire heart, mind and strength are the fulfillment of the whole law. This is a significant test for whether what we pursue is primarily about relationship or whether we only have the form of religion without the it's power.
To love God and neighbor is the basis of judgment. If we want to be welcomed into the kingdom we need to ask for the grace to do this. There can be no shared life which we would call blessed that is selfish and without love.
Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
This is what the psalmist realizes. He sees freedom in the law and not oppression. He feels his own heart made more loving. He feels his very eyes lifted up to the source of love itself.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
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